At 7:00 p.m., on Nov. 20, HHS opened its doors when the theatre program performed The Crucible on opening night. The show was the first for Director Casie Fitzgerald, who made her debut with HHS Theatre.

The rendition of The Crucible starred seniors Matthew Sisti as John Proctor, Victoria Schubert as Abigail Williams, Shane Erickson as Reverend Parris, Christina Buz as Elizabeth Proctor, and Christopher Blum as Reverend Hale.

The play, written by Arthur Miller, was performed in its traditional, four-act structure. The Crucible tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts, where chaos ensues following the accusations by Abigail Williams (Schubert) that many locals are guilty of practicing witchcraft. Of the accused is Elizabeth Proctor (Buz), whose husband John Proctor (Sisti) then takes a stand by fighting the court’s decision to believe everything Abigail says.

The actors and actresses did a great job adjusting to the late 1600s setting of The Crucible.

The cast spent about two months rehearsing before taking the stage. Cast members had to not only work on their assigned roles, but they contributed to the building of the set.

“It wasn’t limited to the three hour rehearsals each day, the work that went in went much farther,” Erickson said. “Every cast member had to spend time on their own memorizing lines which was a challenge with the language the play was written in.”

The overall reaction from the audience was that the performance was very well done. It received an overwhelmingly positive reaction.

“I loved the show,” sophomore Diana LoRicco said. “It was very true to the book, and the characters came alive on the stage.”

This show was the first for director Casie Fitzgerald, and the cast members loved working under her guidance.

“She came in ready to carry the huge burden of being director and she did a fantastic job and helped make my last fall play a memorable one,” Erickson said

Overall, the production was a huge success. All of the actors and actresses put forth very powerful performances.

The stage crew was also very adept at changing the sets between acts in a quick, yet efficient manner.

The theatre program’s next production will be the musical Into the Woods. It will open on March 4, 2016.